Germany needs 260,000 immigrants a year

A new study reveals that Germany needs to welcome a minimum of 260,000 immigrants a year in order to meet labour demand.

Research published by the Bertelsmann Foundation found that the country needs at least 260,000 new migrant workers per year until 2060 in order to meet labour shortages which have been caused by demographic decline.

Of this number, the research reveals that over half (146,000) would need to come from outside of the European Union.

The research found that due largely to an ageing population, the German labour force will shrink by around 16 million people by 2060 without the correct level of immigration.

According to Jörg Dräger, the executive director of the Bertelsmann Foundation, Germany needs to rapidly adopt immigration laws to attract medium and high-skilled workers as well as develop more robust integration programs.

Dräger pointed out that only 38,000 workers came and stayed in Germany in 2017.

The study also stated that demographic factors and economic convergence within the European Union would eventually reduce the incentive for workers from other EU countries to settle and work in Germany.

However, there still appears to be a reluctance from the German government to actively woo immigrants.

In fact, Germany’s Christian Democrats have recently unveiled a series of proposals aimed at toughening immigration policy. Although these restrictions are largely aimed at refuges, as opposed to skilled workers, there is still a feeling that more needs to be done to encourage immigration, particularly from non-EU countries.